Ikea and Nestlé call for new EU laws to cut truck emissions
An alliance of companies including Ikea, Nestlé and Heathrow airport have called on the EU to pass new laws cutting truck emissions within two years, to meet promises made at the Paris climate conference. Heavy duty vehicles make up less than 5 percent of Europe’s road traffic but account for a quarter of the sector’s carbon emissions – more than airplanes – and their fuel efficiency has hardly changed in two decades. The EU’s climate commissioner Miguel Arias Cañete has said that fuel efficiency targets for vehicles after 2020 are “essential” and a commission paper in July is expected to signal that they will be brought forward. The companies’ letter, which is also signed by DHL, Philips, Kingfisher and Schenker, urges the EU “to make a proposal to introduce [fuel economy] standards within the next two years.” (Guardian)
Volkswagen invests $300 million in ridesharing app Gett
Volkswagen (VW) has put $300 million into Israeli taxi start-up Gett on the same day Toyota announced an undisclosed investment in US ride-hailing app Uber, in the latest sign of carmakers placing bets on the future of personal transport. VW’s investment, which more than doubles the amount of funding raised by Europe’s biggest taxi-hailing app, comes months after General Motors injected $500 million into US ride-hailing app Lyft. Toyota’s investment in Uber came as the two groups agreed to provide leasing arrangements for Uber drivers. Toyota’s Prius hybrid has long been a popular choice for Uber drivers because of its fuel efficiency. Meanwhile, the “strategic partnership” to share data and work on future projects, with Gett drivers offered discounts on VW cars to use as taxis. The carmaker is grappling with the fallout from the emissions scandal, where it admitted to installing cheating software on 11 millions cars worldwide. (Financial Times*)
Employees
M&S to deliver ‘fairer and simpler’ approach to pay
Thousands of store staff at UK retailer Marks & Spencer (M&S) will see wages hiked by around 15 percent, but workers will see extra pay for Sunday shifts axed under plans announced by the group. The retailer also dealt a blow to 11,000 members of its final salary pension scheme as the group revealed proposals to close it to future service accrual, having already shut it to new policyholders in 2002. All staff on the gold-plated pension are set to be moved to a defined contribution scheme, where returns are based on stock market performance, from next April. M&S, which employs 70,000 store staff, said last month’s introduction of the National Living Wage prompted a review of wages, with plans to increase the base rate for qualified customer assistants to £8.50 an hour outside London and £9.65 for those in Greater London from next April. (The Scotsman)
Supply Chain
Report: Britain’s dairy cows held in in cruel conditions
British consumers are unaware of the stealth introduction of intensive indoor dairy farms, says a report published by World Animal Protection UK. Although no official figures exist, the research has found nearly 100 confirmed intensive indoor dairy farms with a further 43 suspected. These systems can hold over 2,000 cows and now account for up to a fifth of the milk produced in the UK. Cows never go outside, are pushed to their limits to produce more milk, and are at a higher risk of suffering from lameness and udder infections. “People are willing to pay more for free range milk – and they are already familiar with the ‘free-range’ concept – so this provides a fantastic opportunity for the dairy industry to create value in the milk we are producing. It means providing better labelling and replicating the great work pasture based dairy farmers are doing already,” said Alyx Elliott, UK Head of Campaigns at World Animal Protection. (Blue & Green Tomorrow)
Responsible Investment
Survey suggests Swiss pension funds need sustainable focus
WWF Switzerland, together with responsible investment charity ShareAction, has carried out a survey of the 20 largest Swiss pension funds, concluding that the majority do not yet systematically consider sustainability criteria, such as climate change, in their investment decisions. “Investing responsibly is entirely consistent with looking after beneficiaries’ interests – we hope that more Swiss funds will start to consider and integrate environmental social and governance risks into their investment strategies accordingly,” said ShareAction’s Sonia Hierzig, the report’s author. All 16 of the pension funds that participated in the survey do consider the topic of responsible investment, and 13 also have a relevant policy. But WWF and ShareAction say the funds need to systematically consider responsible investment factors when they make investment decisions, and be open about how they do so. (Blue & Green Tomorrow)
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